79 Years On, Christchurch Still Remembers Hiroshima And Nagasaki

On Sunday, August 11, at 11 a.m., a commemoration ceremony will be held at the World Peace Bell in the Christchurch Botanic Gardens. People will gather to honor the victims and survivors of the atomic bombings of Japan, which occurred 79 years ago. On August 6, 1945, the United States dropped the first nuclear weapon ever used in warfare on the city of Hiroshima. Three days later, on August 9, a second nuclear bomb was detonated over Nagasaki. The devastation was immense. In both Hiroshima and Nagasaki, over 200,000 people died from the bombing, and by the end of 1945 a further 200,000 had succumbed to injury and radiation poisoning. The long-term effects on survivors and their descendants have been profoundly traumatic and continue to this day. 

Those who survived, known as hibakusha, continue to call for the nuclear weapon states, the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, France, China, India, Pakistan, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea) and Israel to disarm completely. 

In January 2024, the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists retained the doomsday clock at 90 seconds to midnight, the closest it has ever been to the theoretical armageddon since its inception in 1947. They stated that there is an ‘undiminished nuclear threat and new arms race’. 

Under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, Russia, the United Kingdom, the United States, France, and China are required to disarm completely. Yet, despite their commitments, there has been little progress toward disarmament. The nuclear-armed states currently possess an estimated 12,512 nuclear weapons—about 12,512 too many. Each of these weapons is exponentially more powerful and destructive than those used on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. 

In addition to their destructive capacity, these weapons are also extremely costly. In 2022, nuclear-armed states spent approximately $82.9 billion on their arsenals, amounting to more than $157,000 per minute. This represents an increase of $2.5 billion from 2021.

We know the devastation these weapons can cause. We have seen it in Hiroshima and Nagasaki and felt the ramifications across subsequent generations. We know it from the deliberate exposure of people in the Pacific Ocean | Te Moana Nui a Kiwa to nuclear testing. Our veterans exposed to these tests know it. Their children and grandchildren know it. 

Aotearoa New Zealand has stood alongside those impacted, campaigning and advocating for global disarmament to protect our world. Along with like-minded states and the exceptional advocacy of civil society, we have made nuclear weapons illegal under international law. We can take pride in our global leadership in this effort and must continue to champion disarmament. By learning from the past, we can create a safer future, ensuring that no one ever again experiences the trauma endured by the hibakusha 79 years ago. 

Event Details: 

Title: Never Again: Hiroshima and Nagasaki 79th Remembrance Day 

Date: Sunday, August 11th, 2024 

Time: 11:00am - 11:45am 

Location: New Zealand World Peace Bell, Christchurch Botanic Gardens 

Invitation: The event is free and open to the public. 

Speakers and attending dignataries: 

Cr Celeste Donovan, Christchurch City Councillor (Keynote) 

Mr Ken Nakamura, Japanese Consul 

Dr Susan Bouterey, University of Canterbury Associate Professor (Japanese) 

Christchurch City Councillors 

Local Members of Parliament 

Schedule of Events: 

11:00 - 11:05 Opening Remarks 

11:05 - 11:08 Keynote Address (Cr Donovan) 

11:08 Moment of Silence 

11:09 Speech (Mr Nakamura) 

11:12 - 11:40 Singers and other speeches 

11:40 Candlelight Vigil 

11:45 Public invited to ring World Peace Bell and place flowers on River Avon 

About the Disarmament and Security Centre: 

The Disarmament and Security Centre (DSC) is a not-for-profit charitable organisation based in Aotearoa New Zealand. The DSC was established in 1998 in Christchurch and today operates as primarily a virtual Centre connecting disarmament experts, lawyers, political scientists, academics, teachers, students and disarmament proponents. The DSC provides a resource centre for alternative thinking on disarmament and security issues, both within Aotearoa New Zealand and internationally. Currently the work focuses on: reinvigorating public awareness on disarmament issues by implementing the recommendations from the 2002 United Nations Study on Disarmament and Non-Proliferation Education; educating about New Zealand’s nuclear free legislation; informing the public on the World Court's 1996 Advisory Opinion on nuclear weapons and its implications; raising awareness of the 2017 Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, the fallacies of nuclear deterrence; and offering safer alternative security strategies.

For more information visit www.disarmsecure.org 

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